Nutcracker Festival: A Sweet New Tulsa Holiday Tradition
If you’ve only seen one ballet in your life, chances are, it’s The Nutcracker. “The Nutcracker is a staple for every ballet company around the world, the United States in particular,” says Scott Black, managing director for Tulsa Ballet. He attributes the ballet’s success to our collective love of holidays and family traditions. “It’s a story that all ages can relate to,” he explains. “And it’s really seeing the magic of the holidays through the eyes of a child. That’s what it’s all about.”
Because of this, going to The Nutcracker has become a holiday tradition for generations of families – in Tulsa in particular. Tulsa Ballet’s production has been running for over 50 years and includes a cast of around 100 children playing party-goers, rats and toy soldiers. So, many Tulsans have grown up not just attending the production but participating in it as well. “If you go to any place in Tulsa and talk about The Nutcracker, there will be somebody in that room who was in The Nutcracker at one point,” Black says.
Photo courtesy Tulsa Ballet
“Oklahoma’s Most Exciting Holiday Experience”
This year, Nutcracker enthusiasts can experience the classic story in a brand-new way, at the inaugural Nutcracker Festival, sponsored by the Hardesty Family Foundation and presented by Tulsa Ballet and TulsaGo®. The festival will take place Dec. 6-7 at the SageNet Center at Expo Square.
Activities include a holiday gift market, live entertainment, photo backdrops, holiday-themed inflatables, an iceless ice-skating rink, cake walk, Santa and a train ride to meet the Sugarplum Fairy.
Photo courtesy Tulsa Ballet
“Being the Nutcracker Festival, we are trying to tie everything in as much as possible to the theme of The Nutcracker, even the story of The Nutcracker,” Black says.
Those familiar with the ballet will know that the second act features Clara’s visit to the Land of Sweets, where ballerinas representing delectable items such as coffee, tea, marzipan – and of course, the Sugarplum Fairy – delight the audience through a series of iconic dance numbers. The Nutcracker Festival will have its own “Land of Sweets and Eats,” featuring a special Nutcracker Festival blend of Topeca Coffee, specialty chocolates and even a Nutcracker Festival beer by Marshall Brewery. “They don’t really drink beer in The Nutcracker,” Black jokes, “but we’re going to allow that as an opportunity at this event.”
While Tulsa is no stranger to winter festivals, the Nutcracker Festival will be unique not just because of its theme, but because of its indoor setting – which reduces concerns of inclement weather disrupting an event that has been many years in the making.
The Marketplace
Erik-Michael Collins, senior managing partner at TulsaGo®, says they are excited to be partnering with Tulsa Ballet in this unique endeavor. “When Scott came to me with this idea,” Collins says, “I almost immediately said ‘yes’ to it. Because it’s something I know that is not happening here in the city, and then in our research, it’s not happening anywhere else in the country.”
TulsaGo® has produced the successful OKGO Market® for several years, making them the perfect organization to partner with in planning the Nutcracker Festival’s massive holiday market. Not to mention, Erik-Michael Collins himself is one of the many Tulsans who have performed in Tulsa Ballet’s The Nutcracker as a child. While Tulsa Ballet is handling most of the Nutcracker Festival logistics, TulsaGo® is taking the lead on organizing the marketplace.
Collins says they currently have over 50 local vendors signed up, who will be selling everything from clothing, jewelry and accessories to food, health and beauty products and more. “All the people that are going to be set up there, they’re really cottage-based businesses,” he says. “So this gives them an opportunity to set up in a store-front setting, whereas normally they work out of their home.”
And, while doing your holiday shopping online or at a big box store may be convenient, Collins emphasizes the importance of shopping local so that tax revenue goes toward local endeavors like infrastructure projects. “It’s always so important to support local businesses because they are the foundation for a thriving community,” he says.
Attending the Festival
Dec. 6-7
SageNet Center at Expo Square (Upper Level), 4145 E. 21st St.
nutcrackerfest.com
facebook.com/nutcrackerfest
Nutcracker Festival tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at nutcrackerfest.com. Adult tickets are $13, and child tickets (ages 3-12) are $11. Children under 3 get in free, and group discounts are available.
These general admission tickets grant you access to the market, live entertainment, bowling provided by Andy B’s Bowling, the Land of Sweets and Eats, and photo ops. Add-on activities (ranging from $5-15) include the cake walk, ice skating, a reindeer photo experience, etc.
Nutcracker Festival attendees will also be able to purchase discounted tickets to The Nutcracker performance, which runs at the Tulsa PAC on select days, Dec. 8-22. Visit tulsaballet.org for details.
Enter to win four tickets to the Nutcracker Festival from Nov. 1-15!
